THE Redback Tavern in Acton has been promised a new lease of life when it reopens under new management later this year.

The pub in High Street was a bar and live music venue popular with the area’s antipodean population for about 15 years, but it was shut down following police complaints over booze-fuelled behaviour.

But now the site has been acquired by the Antic group, which already owns a string of pubs across London.

The venue has been renamed The Acton Arms and is expected to open before the end of the year.

A spokesman for Acton Police Licensing Team said: “An application was received by the council on April 17, to transfer the licence previously held by the Redback Tavern. Our consultation with the applicants so far look positive.”

But not everyone is enthusiastic about the reopening. Sam Morrow, 26, was a regular at the Redback. He said: “I think it’s a bad idea. They should have just left it as it was. There will be less chance of people starting trouble there now but it had a real identity and people really enjoyed going there. It was a good place to meet others. I definitely won’t be visiting it once it reopens.”

A website has been set up for the new pub, www.actonarms.com , which says it will be ‘opening soon’.